Windshield wiper



Aprd 8, 1930. A H. A. MCGOWAN 1,753,713

WNDSHIELD WIPER Filed March 11, 1929 Illll IIIII vmmm drfvmmlvenfofAttorney Patented Asi. s, 1930 UNITED STATES HAROLD A. IC'GOWAN, 0FDAVENPORT, WASHINGTON WTNDSHIELD WIPEB Application led March 11, 1929.Serial No. 345,999.

My present invention relates to an improved 'windshield wiper for use onthe windshields of automotive vehicles, aircraft or water craft, andadapted to be operated in an suitable manner.

e wiper is of the pivoted ty e that swings or oscillates, on a pivotapoint, across the area of the windshield that is to be wiped or cleansedofA moisture, and in combination with the wiper I employ a heatingelement in an electric circuit for the purpose of melting snow, sleet,or ice that may accumulate on the windshield. The presence of theheating element in the wiper provides' means whereby the snow, ice, orsleet may be melted to facilitate the wiping operations of the wiper,and the latter is thus enabled to keep clean the windshield to insurethe necessary vision of the driver of an automobile through thewindshield.

My invention consists inv certain novel combinations and arrangements ofparts involved in the construction of the heatedv wiper as willhereinafter be more fully set forth and claimed. In the accompanying ydrawings I have illustrated one complete example of the physicalembodiment of my invention wherein the parts are combined and arran edaccording to the best mode I have thus cation of the principles of myinvention.

Figure 1 is a perspective view at the front of an automotivevehicleshowin the windshield equipped with the wiper o my inven` tion.F1 e 2 is an enlarged transverse vertical sectional view of the wiper atline 2-2 of Figure 4. Figure 3 is a longitudinal sectional view at line3-3 of Figure 2. Figure 4 isa side view of the wiper, and Figure 5 is adetail view of one of the fastening clips.

In order that the general arrangement of parts may readily be understoodand -the utility of the device be illustrated I have shown in Figure 1 aportion of the front of an automobile with the usual windshield 4S, andthe wiper of my invention includes a holder 1 of metal in U-shape orV-shape, to which is attached the swing or operating arm 2. The arm issecured at 3 to the holder, and 5' is also pivotcd at 4 to a suitablepart of the ar devised for the practical appli- Windshield frame topermit the wiper to swing or oscillate -on the pivot, under eithermanual, orpower operation.

Within the holder the wiper is retained and has a pair of wiping sheets5 and 6, the 55 outer free edges of which are designed to wipe acrossthe windshield in usual manner. These wipers or wiping sheets are ofrubber, or other suitable material, and their free edges pro'ect beyondthe edges of the U- 60 shape hol er so that the wipers are free tooperate across the face ofthe windshield in the performance of theirfunctions. l

Between the wiping edges of the ywiper a wire conductor 7 is encased ina casing 8 of c5 asbestos or other suitable material, and this casingortubular cover fon-the conductor forming the electric' heating element,is clamped and thus retainedv betweenV the spaced parts of the holder,sufficiently close m to the wi ing edges and to the windshield, as toprovi e the necessary'heat for melting the ice, snow, or" sleet that isto be wipedby the wi ing edges of the device. r

t one end, the heating element is bent as at 9, and this end of theheating element` is retained by the two, parts ,ofv lthe holder Ikthroughv the use of aninte'gral loophstrap 10 at one side of the holderthat y.is .forced through a slot 10P; atgtheother side :ofthe holder.The loop strapvprojectsthrough. the slot so that the bent endfmaygbe;slipped throughthe strap, and then the, resiliency of" the metal holderldraws on` the strap to hold the bend or bent end frictionally betweenthe 1 strap andthe face of the holder.

The loop stra is struck or stamped from the material of t e holder, andin addition to" co-acting with the slotted side of the holder, theseparts provide a ound for the elec- 1 trical currents of the eatingcircuit that passes through the heatin element. v

At the other end of the older, the end of the heating element is bent asat 11, and this end or bend, like the bend 9 projects beyond the end ofthe holder, is secured to the holder, but is insulated therefrom. A nextension cli 12, of U-sha e is secured to the holder an provided wit anintervening lining 13 of insulated material so that the clip isinsulated from the holder. The metal cli is. formed from a blank, asillustrated in ig'- ure 5, and bent on the dotted line so that it will tover and conform to the Shape of 5 theholder. The clip is fashioned withan integral loo strap 14 stamped or pressed therefrom, an with acomplementary slot 15, the strap and the slot registering when the clipis bent or folded to its U-shape or V-shape form to straddle the holder.

The end 11 of the heating element is retained by the strap, whichprojects through the opposed slot, and the end of the element is slippedthrough the strap so that the ele- 15 ment is frictionally held betweenthe strap and the opposite face of the holder. In Figure 4 an end of vawire 16 is also shown as retained b the strap, said wire being a part ofthe wiring for the electric circuit for the heating element, and thewire may be welded or otherwise made fast to the heating element.

In this manner. the parts of the' heating- Wiper are readily assembled,and the strap and slot connection for the holder and heating element atthe ends of the latter, due to the resiliency of the holder, retain theparts in assembled position against accidental displacement. v

Havin thus fully described my invention, what I c aim as new and desireto secure by Letters Patent is The combination in a windshield wiperwith a U-shaped holder and spaced wi ing sheets therein having freeworking e es,

of a casing between the sheets and an e ectric heating element in thecasing, said element having bent ends projectin beyond the casing, aloop strap on one si e of the holder adjacent each end and acomplementary slot for each strap at the other Side of the holder forreceiving the bent ends as described, and one end of the element beinounded while the other end is insulate om the holder.

In testimonXhereof I aix my signature.

ROLD A. MCGOWAN.

